This is a fan translation of Emperors of Illusions (Императоры иллюзий) by the Russian science fiction and fantasy author Sergei Lukyanenko. The novel is a sequel to Lukyanenko's Line of Dreams (Линия грёз) novel and can be considered a fan fiction of the original Master of Orion game.
Chapter 7
The internal guard lieutenant entered quickly and silently. The call could have been accidental… maybe the Emperor had unintentionally pressed the call button in his sleep.
"Come here," Gray's voice came from a deep chair standing by the window. The Emperor was watching the sunset. His face seemed very calm to the lieutenant… unbearably so.
"You're a good boy," Gray said quietly. The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed; he knew all too well that a compliment like that could be ambiguous coming from Gray's lips. "What is the Emperor to you, my boy?"
"The banner of the Empire. Its symbol."
"Correct. You helped me on Tauri… you have guts. Do you know that I changed my will today?"
"I do, Emperor."
"I haven't chosen these witnesses by accident. Curtis, the 'master of life and death', the Patriarch, and Citizen Seiker. They have power and their own interests. They must see to it that my will be done. And you… How old are you, boy?"
"Forty-two, Emperor."
"You've got an excellent career. Be honest, who was your mentor?"
"No one, Emperor."
"Don't lie to me. Where are you from?"
"Haaran."
Gray's head shot up in the sort of surprise that rarely struck him.
"My file says Incedios. But I'm not going to lie to you, Emperor."
"How did you survive?"
The Lieutenant shrugged.
"We got lucky. The ships of the Jacksonian Foundation were looking for survivors and found us."
"But how did you survive?"
"Not everyone followed their orders, Emperor. I was a child, and we were kept in school for almost three days. Then we heard that they were letting us go home. I came outside… it was night. I think I heard something and turned around. One of those who told us to go home was standing behind me with a rifle. He was aiming it at me."
The Lieutenant fell silent, and Gray encouraged him with a nod.
"I said something stupid like 'Don't!' I'd realized the truth and didn't believe anything anymore… wet my pants. The guy with the rifle had death in his eyes. But he just stood there and didn't fire. But the one who was taking me outside, with a gentle face and kind eyes, grabbed me by the shoulders and shouted, 'Shoot the little bastard!'"
The Lieutenant broke off again.
"So he let you go after all? The guy with the rifle?"
"Yes. He did. But first he shot the guy holding me. Asked me for my name, told me to stay put, and went into the school."
"Sorry, what is your name?"
"Jake."
"Continue, Jake. I want to understand you."
"There's nothing interesting after that, Emperor. I ran anyway, but there was no one at home. I came back to the school, since I didn't have anywhere else to go. Apparently, that man had killed all the soldiers. Told us to stick together, hide, and hope… but to never tell where we were from and how we survived. Then he left. I don't know about the others, but I kept silent. I'd like to see him again… even though it's stupid. Just to tell him that I didn't talk."
"My boy… Jake…" the immortal Emperor was speaking with a barely audible voice. "Why didn't you kill me? You're from Haaran… which I killed."
The Lieutenant looked at the Emperor, a sagging body in a large chair.
"I wanted to. That's why I joined the ISS. I climbed over people's heads just to end up in your guard."
"And?"
"You can hate a man, Emperor. A man, not a symbol. I've never seen you happy. You carry hell inside you, all your life. Maybe that's your payback for Haaran."
"For Haaran, Shedar… for being on top," the Emperor rose from the chair with some difficulty. "You have guts, my boy. You're a good kid. Do one last favor for your banner: sneak out him out of the palace. So that no one notices: not his enemies, and not his friends."
The Lieutenant was silent.
"You can do it, I know. And don't think that I'm trying to avoid payback, it's not that simple. Help me, Jake."
"The Empire needs a banner."
"There will be one. It's not the color of the banner, my boy… it's the presence of one. When another takes my place, tell him your story. He must understand you. And tell him that I'm giving you the very best recommendation."
"Who's going to believe such words, Emperor?"
"He will."
The sky over Grail split open. A cruiser, capable of turning the entire planet into a pile of dead slag, a large troop transport, which could do the same job far more delicately, and a new command destroyer of the Dogar Group entered orbit.
Vyacheslav Shegal was standing by the operational screen and nodded to the troop commander, "Initiate the zone lockdown. And remember: don't cross the edge."
"But what if they're already inside the zone?"
"Then they're my problem."